Thinking about becoming Pregnant?

Author + October 31st, 2007 + no replies

Over the years we have consistently received emails and calls from Mothers to be, or from Mothers whose daughters are about to also become Mothers! They all have the same concerns… what if anything can they do to ensure that they produce a healthy baby?

Of course, the most basic answer is to ensure that the pregnant mother takes particular care to eat a good diet, exercise and maintain good health. As important as having a good diet is to eliminate any bad dietary or lifestyle habits.

For example, intake of alcohol should be avoided during pregnancy as should smoking. Both have potential long term negative impacts on the child. Along with alcohol and smoking, the mother should avoid eating processed foods which are full of additives and transfats! Cookies and many snacks come into this category as well.

In addition, the importance of breast feeding during those initial months cannot be overemphasized. No matter what the latest super duper baby formula is, NONE of them come close to duplicating the nourishment that a baby receives from it’s mother, providing she is healthy and has all the essential nutrients within her body to pass on to her infant.

Of course, everyone knows these basics, so I am not telling you anything that you don’t already know. So, let me tell you one important thing that you probably instinctively know but perhaps have not thought about in depth.

An unborn baby drains the mother of essential nutrients…

Even with an excellent diet it is almost impossible for a mother to be, to replace those essential nutrients that the unborn child takes from her during pregnancy. In fact, not only can the unborn child ‘rob’ the Mother of these nutrients during pregnancy, but it still may not get enough for its own needs.

Net result? Both baby and mother may become deficient. Ever wondered why so many new mothers suffer from depression? What about the cravings they get during pregnancy? Some people consider this to be normal, but that’s nonsense! It’s simply due to a deficiency in essential nutrients. Amazingly, even many Doctors still consider post natal depression to be ‘normal’ and prescribe an anti-depressant which only makes the situation worse long term for the mother and indirectly for the child.

Over recent years some of these deficiencies and the impact that they have on both Mother and Child are at last being recognized… even by mainstream medicine. A well known deficiency is folic acid. It is now well accepted that it is essential for every pregnant mother to take a folic acid supplement to prevent neural tube defects in her baby. One study found that the risk of this defect was reduced by 72% as a result of taking folic acid supplements.

Other studies have also found that women taking folic acid-containing multivitamin supplements around the time they conceive may also reduce the risk of other congenital malformations, such as heart defects, defects of the upper lip and mouth, urinary tract defects, and limb-reduction defects.

So, take your supplements if you are trying to conceive…

The more comprehensive the supplement the better in order to ensure that baby gets the best possible start in life… and the mother is not ‘drained’ of essential nutrients which can take a long time to recover from… and in some cases never!. Up until the point of conception you probably already know that our own Total Balance is the best supplement in the world for achieving all the above objectives…

But… because our Total Balance has not been specifically formulated as a pre-natal supplement we are not permitted by law to recommend it to pregnant or lactating women. Instead if you wish to use our Total Balance you should have it approved by your own physician. We have had many physicians consider that our Total Balance (Unisex version) is for after conception the best they have seen… So, if you are pregnant print out the ingredient list of our Total Balance Unisex and ask your physician to approve it. If he does not, ask him to recommend a pre-natal supplement for you.

It’s better for you to have any approved pre-natal supplement (even if it is not Total Balance) than none at all. (We may develop a specific pre-natal version of Total Balance later, but for now consider the Unisex with your physician’s approval.)

However… there is one product that we can recommend to pregnant and lactating mothers which is every bit as essential as the folic acid I referred to earlier on! In fact, many scientists and physicians now consider that it may be even more important!

That is our Omega 3 DHA Esters!

The sad reality is that most babies are now born with a deficiency of DHA, thanks to the modern diet which has very little DHA. The human body cannot synthesize essential fatty acids of which DHA is the most important. It is crucial for general health and indispensable for brain development. So, unless expectant mothers supplement their diet with this essential fatty acid which is included in the Omega 3 then even if she was not already deficient she will soon become that way, along with her baby!

This is bad news for both Mother and Baby!

Some studies suggest that during the last trimester of pregnancy the unborn child can use up to 2 grams a day of Omega 3 much of which is used for the baby’s brain development. This is far more than the average dietary intake of most people, so it reinforces my earlier argument.

A deficiency of DHA will very likely lead to less than optimal brain development in the child and depression in the mother! Some experts have gone as far as to suggest that the shortage of DHA at childbirth is a significant contributor to later Autism and ADHD. Whether they are 100% right or only partially correct, the evidence supporting the need for DHA supplementation is overwhelming. Some of that evidence we have published in past issues of the Xtend-15sec-News.

Will Fish Oil Supplementation, avoid the deficiency?

Maybe! This will depend on the amount that is taken and the levels of DHA in the oil. Most fish oils only contain about 12% of DHA, and 18% of EPA. Also, they may have other contaminants present (such as heavy metals) which you certainly don’t want if you are pregnant. In addition they are in a triglyceride form which in some people is not as easily assimilated into the cells, as opposed to the ester form.

In contrast to most fish oils our Omega 3 DHA Esters can in some batches have three times the amount. The level of DHA can vary between 25 - 36%. It is also in the ester form. If you would like a more detailed explanation of the difference between the different forms please review an article I wrote on the subject in Xtend-Your-Life on the 25th Feb 2005. You can find it in our archives or by clicking here.

You also don’t have to worry about purity! There is no purer oil anywhere. To help demonstrate that point you may be interested to know that an acceptable worldwide standard for arsenic and lead in fish oil is 3 ppm. (parts per million). We have just completed an independent anaylsis of our oil for the Thai FDA and the figures came out at…

Arsenic - 0.15ppm
Lead - 0.034ppm

I have never seen any product come out as ‘clean’ as that, even the so called ‘pharmaceutical’ grades, which is a marketing term not a ’standard’.

So, in summary, if you or a loved one is pregnant, lactating or wishing to conceive please ensure that you do the following:

1. Take a quality Omega 3 supplement high in DHA… at all times!
2. Up until the time of conception, take the best multi-nutrient supplement that you can find.
3. After conception take a quality pre-natal supplement… with your physicians approval.
4. Whilst breast feeding also take a quality multi-nutrient supplement, again with your physicians approval.

If these ‘rules’ are followed then both mother and child have the best chance for a long healthy disease free life. If not, the child is starting life ‘on the back foot’ and will have a life long battle to reach maximum health potential. A little care in the early stages can reap rewards for life…